


The Wraps of Dyamak

by Harlequinade



Category: Critical Role (Web Series), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, I don't know guys it was a thought, Star Wars AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 12:39:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15707409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harlequinade/pseuds/Harlequinade
Summary: Keyleth Ashari is no Jedi - but it helps when you're trying to go places normal people wouldn't be allowed in if you can flash that lightsaber. People get out of your way then. But sometimes they don't. Sometimes, like good, upstanding citizens, they arrest you for trying to threaten your way into the restricted area. And sometimes your best friend Percival Frederickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo the Third of the royal Chiss family gets arrested along with you. Stars, life can be pretty kriffing fantastic sometimes, right?





	The Wraps of Dyamak

“For the record, I blame you for this,” Keyleth hissed softly. There was no one watching them, but Keyleth was concentrating on trying to force open the stun cuffs locking her arms behind her back. The cuffs were… uncompromising, and Keyleth was getting frustrated with them.

“She was _right there_ ,” Percy whispered back. He sounded furious, closed off. “She was right there and I didn’t pull the trigger.”

“Well, there’s always next time, Perce,” Keyleth glanced upward. The cell had a series of metal bars, ten feet up crisscrossing under the blue sky. If she had wanted to, she could have counted the clouds as they drifted in and out of sight over the open grate.

“Any bright ideas?”

“They took my blasters,” Percy shrugged.

“And my saber,” Keyleth let out a sigh of frustration. A strand of red hair, dislodged by the movement, drifted over her eyes. She used her shoulder to brush it away. “I’m having trouble crushing these without the use of my hands.”

“Great,” Percy sighed and leaned his head back, face uplifted towards the afternoon sunlight.

Keyleth laid back herself and took in a deep breath. She let it out with a push from the Force that made the dry dirt in the cell spin in circles and the dust mites in the sunlight dance. Great. So she could move the air with the Force but not break a pair of kriffing stun cuffs. She closed her eyes and let the Force take her conscience where it would.

“Padawan Ashari?”

Keyleth opened her eyes. It was sunset now, the sunlight had long since vanished from the cell, but the sky was a vibrant orange fading into deep purple overhead. She turned her head and saw a guard by the door.

“Yes?”

“Your master has come to fetch you,” he brushed his forearm against the lock and his bracer beeped. The metal bars retracted, and he stepped aside expectantly.

 _Master?_ Keyleth had no master. She turned to look at Percy, who raised an eyebrow questioningly. Keyleth shrugged, standing.

“Thank you,” she nodded at the guard. He gave a slight nod in return, and led her out to the front office area, where she and Percy had first been held after they were arrested for attempted murder.

Out front there was a slender, white-skinned man with a brown robe and several earrings in each pointed ear. He was… wow. Keyleth blinked, taken aback. The man was beautiful. There was no other word for it. The humble brown robe seemed ill fitting on such a gorgeous individual.

He looked up with a faint smile and held out his arms expectantly when she came through the door. “Keyleth, my dear!”

The guard released the stun cuffs and stepped back. Keyleth, unsure of what else to do, leaned forward to give the strange man a hug. He was shorter than her, and she had to bend down to really embrace him.

“Master,” she mumbled into his robes. “Forgive me.”

Stars, she hoped he was a better liar than she was.

“I’ve told you, don’t run off like that,” the man released her and looked her in the eyes. “Are you alright?”

Keyleth nodded, swallowing. Percy needed out of that cell too - if this man was trying to get her out, maybe he could get Percy out as well. Or…

“Master, they locked up Captain De Rolo too!”

The man’s face froze for a second, a panic setting in. Then it passed, like the clouds in the sky.

“Well, we mustn’t leave him either! You there!” He called to one of the passing guards. “Please release Captain De Rolo into my care. I promise, they are no threat to you or your people.”

“But, sir-” the guard started, but the man cut him off.

“I assure you, the High Council has great need of them.”

The guard’s mouth snapped shut and he nodded, leaving the room and soon returning with Percy. He removed the stun cuffs and the man nodded.

“Excellent. Now, please bring their confiscated items out - it is imperative we leave soon.”

The box with their belongings was quickly produced, and Keyleth quickly strapped her lightsaber to her waist. Percy picked up his blasters, hanging them from his belt.

“I do thank you for your help, gentleman,” the man was saying to the guards. “I bid you ado.”

And with that, he walked out the door, Keyleth and Percy following close behind. As soon as they were a block away, the man tore off the dirty brown robe, revealing beautiful, almost garish clothing underneath.

“Gah, I don’t know how you people stand being so uncomfortable all the time! It’s awful!” He pulled his hair from the low ponytail and used one hand to comb it out. “There, that’s better.”

“Excuse me, who exactly are you?” Percy asked sharply.

“The guy who just got you out of prison. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Yeah, thanks. But why?” Keyleth asked. “Do you make a habit of just springing random people out of prison?”

“Only when they’re as fine as you?” The man winked, and Keyleth reeled back.

“Watch it,” Percy snapped. “Some of us aren’t so nice as Keyleth.”

The man laughed, waving a hand that failed to diffuse the tension. “In all honesty, I need your assistance.”

“You need _my_ help?” Keyleth blinked.

“Course! A Jedi’s help is always appreciated.”

 _Well…_ Keyleth and Percy shared a sidelong glance as the man continued. “Although a Jedi apprentice and a Chiss travelling together is unusual, no?”

“I’m not a Jedi apprentice,” Keyleth jumped in. Percy gave her a look that was a very carefully calculated _watch it_. “I ran away.”

“I figured as much, when no master came to retrieve you,” the man took a left turn, towards the docks. “Do they know you abandoned them?

“Um…” Keyleth faltered. “I would assume so….”

“Well, then, let’s hope they are very forgiving,” the man stopped in front of a small freighter, a design Keyleth had never seen before, and knocked loudly on the hull.

A moment later, the door opened with a _hiss_ of steam. The man ushered them forward and into the ship’s main gathering space. It was very pleasantly arranged, almost more like a living room in a home than the deck of a spaceship.

Waiting there were four people, and a hulking mass of machinery, like a droid, though it looked odd and bulky, like an animal rather than a humanoid.

“Padawan Ashari and Captain De Rolo, meet my crew,” the man waved an arm about. “The twins, Vax and Vex. You’ll figure out which one is which eventually.”

The woman with the dark hair scoffed, turning around and stalking towards the pilot’s chair. The man with similar dark hair and almost identical features, though perhaps less delicate, smiled softly and put out a hand in greeting.

“I’m Vax - the woman who greeted you so politely is my sister. Don’t mind her.”

Keyleth took his hand and shook it firmly. He only had four fingers on each end, almost ending like some strange claw at the end.

“Arkanian?” She asked. Arkanians were very proud of their bloodline, and prided themselves on their bone-white hair and eyes, symbols of the purity of their heritage. Maybe Keyleth could endear herself to the crew.

Vax’s eyes shuttered the moment she said that. “Yes, as a matter of fact. Welcome aboard,” and then he was gone. Vanished into the shadows.

A slight woman with blonde hair braided over her shoulder and an intricate golden mask made of metal over her eyes stepped forward and shook Keyleth’s hand as well.

“My name’s Pike. It’s very nice to meet you,” she reached over and shook Percy’s hand, though Percy surrendered to it with a distrusting look. “That’s Grog,” Pike nodded to the extremely large man behind her in full Mandalorian armor. He grunted, but gave no other response.

“My name’s Scanlan. Welcome aboard the _Vox Machina_ ,” the man waved his arms about. “As repayment for getting you out of prison, we now require your assistance breaking into the Jedi Temple.”

“Wait. What?!” Keyleth yelped, and was thrown sideways as the engines began to whine and they were lifted into the air.

* * *

 

“They’re gonna find out.”

Keyleth paced back and forth, soft green robes fluttering behind her like a butterfly, trapped inside a jar. Percy watched for a moment, then put out a hand to grasp her shoulder and hold her still. His fingerless gloves were warm and rough, fingers calloused over so much that Keyleth could barely distinguish them from the fabric of his gloves.

“We can fix this, Keyleth.”

“How?!” Keyleth wrenched her arm away. “I’ve never _been_ to the Jedi Temple! I’m not even a _Jedi_ \- they’re going to find out and arrest me. Or worse!”

“‘Worse’ is being jettisoned out into the cold vacuum of space, Key,” Percy reasoned firmly. “And that’s what these mercenaries will do to us if they found out that the whole trip to spring you was a waste.”

Keyleth let out a groan and flopped down on a bed. There were two, situated side by side with a small table in between them. This was the room that Captain Scanlan had shown them after taking off. Percy hadn’t been kidding when he had said they could be jettisoned if the crew found out Keyleth wasn’t really a Jedi.

Captain Scanlan had opened the door with a flourish. “Here we are! You two will be staying here as honored guests until we finish our contract. Please don’t attempt a mutiny; we _will_ let you off immediately if you decide this arrangement is no longer agreeable. By that I mean Vex’ahlia will let you off into space to swim home.”

At the moment Keyleth moaned into the very same bed that the Captain had gestured to with extravagance unbefitting the plain quarters merely hours before.

“The Jedi will know,” Keyleth mumbled into the covers.

“The Jedi wouldn’t know one Light-side user from the other even if you were literally wearing a pin that said ‘I AM NOT A JEDI’,” Percy sat down besides her and began combing through her hair softly. Keyleth closed her eyes, letting him slowly work out the tangles. “I’m sure they’ll be more embarrassed that they managed to lose track of one of their own Padawans.”

“I don’t have a Master - they’ll be suspicious.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Percy began to braid the combed hair with his practiced fingers. “ _Vox Machina_ has to have some idea of what they’re doing. Stars, they managed to find a non-registered Padawan who never existed.”

“I hate you,” Keyleth murmured, closing her eyes.

“Oh I know you do,” Percy smiled.

* * *

 

It was a few hours before Keyleth awoke. Actually, she really had no idea how long it had been. She assumed it had only been a few hours. Percy was nowhere to be seen. The gray room was lit with harsh white light, dimmed until it was as close to soft mood lighting as it could be.

The door _shushed_ open as Keyleth softly padded down the hall. No one to be seen. The ship was not an unnaturally large one, but she had a feeling it really could stand to staffed by a larger crew than just five people. The soft hum of the spacecraft belied the true nature of their speed (Keyleth suspected that they might be in hyperspace right now, but there were no windows through which to check).

Keyleth turned a corner and almost ran headlong into Pike. Keyleth gave out a gasp and backpedalled, reaching out a little with the Force to react faster to Pike’s unexpected appearance. Pike stepped back too, almost as quickly as Keyleth. As she did, Keyleth was sure she felt the Force bend around the young woman slightly.

“Woah, sorry,” Pike smiled pleasantly. “Jedi reflexes, huh?”

“I guess,” Keyleth shrugged. “Quick yourself.”

“Well…” Pike shrugged sheepishly.

“...Really quick,” Keyleth added. She was staring intently at the mask over Pike’s eyes. “Especially for someone who _can’t see_.”

“I mean…”

“No, tell me honestly,” Keyleth waved her hand in front of Pike’s face. “What advantage could it possibly be to wear a mask with no eye holes to _see through_?”

Pike’s hand shot up and grabbed Keyleth’s wrist in an iron tight grip. It hurt. Just a little.

Pike cocked her head and smiled. “My race doesn’t need eyes to see.”

She released her grip and Keyleth wrenched her hand back, rubbing at the place Pike had been holding gingerly.

“We use the Force, just as you do,” Pike continued. “Sarenrae gave us the Force in place of what you people use to see.”

“Sarenrae?”

“Goddess of light, healing, and second chances,” Pike tapped the golden symbol hanging about her neck. It was almost lost in the shimmering white of her tunic, but Keyleth could see it now that Pike had pointed it out. “The Miraluka were brought into this world blind and weak. Sarenrae gifted our race with the Force to protect us from those that would take advantage of our helplessness.”

“....Uh-huh,” Keyleth nodded slowly. She’d never heard of the Miraluka, nor of Sarenrae. She’d never put much thought into religion as it was. Personally, she thought religion was a crutch that was used to pass guilt onto an all powerful god’s commandments rather than taking responsibility for your own wrongdoings.

Pike shrugged silently, dropping her holy symbol. “I don’t care whether you believe me or not. You can feel my presence in the Force, just as I feel yours.”

Keyleth felt a spark of terror. “You can?”

“You’re good,” Pike stated simply. “I can feel it. You haven’t been fully corrupted yet.”

“‘Fully’?”

“I don’t trust your friend. His soul is… dark. Like it’s been dipped in evil.”

Keyleth drew back like she had been slapped. “Like you’re one to talk,” she snapped. “ _Mercenary_.”

She stomped off, looking back over her shoulder to see Pike shrug, walking off in another direction. Her golden mask reflected the lights embedded in the wall as she went, and Keyleth felt a surge of hatred for that mask.


End file.
